Senegal, 28th - 31st October 2013
The regional workshop for the of Africa's National Plant Protection Officers to discuss IPPC's draft International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) opened today October 28th, 2013 in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
© 2013 AU-IBAR. Group photo.The meeting is an annual activity which contracting parties are called upon to implement. This meeting came up after the publication of the 2013 draft ISPMs by IPPC for comments. Attendance included NPPO of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Ivory Coast, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Sao Tome et Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe; delegates from the IPPC and COLEACP, and also AU-IAPSC and AU-IBAR staff.
The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants from African countries with a regional forum to review and discuss the 2013 draft ISPMs and annexes.
The opening ceremony was presided over by the Senegalese Director of Plant Protection, Mr Mbargou LO, after the welcome speech by Director of the Interafrican Phytosanitary Council. For four days, participants will discuss and provide inputs to five ISPMs and three annexes submitted by IPPC for members Consultations.